Broad fit again from heel injury

The last time that Stuart Broad set foot on the cricket field, was in the second Test in Mumbai before Christmas, where he suffered a second consecutive wicketless Test. Broad subsequently suffered the ignominy of being dropped by England for the second time.

Although Broad would have expected to return as captain for the T20 series, a heel problem kept him out of the team, and Eoin Morgan stepped in to lead the side, in a drawn series. Broad's catalogue of disasters continued, when snow prevented him from flying to India to join up with the ODI squad for the final two matches of the series in India.

Not only did the snow keep Broad in England, but the treacherous conditions also prevented him from doing any outdoor running. Broad was grateful to arrive in the warmer conditions of New Zealand, where he will join up with the rest of the squad who are due to arrive direct from India, following the completion of the ODI series.

England have two warm up matches arranged prior to the three T20 matches against New Zealand, the first one taking place in Auckland on February 9.

Assuming that Broad is fit enough to take his place in the side, it will be the first time that he has skippered them since their abysmal campaign at the World T20 competition in Sri Lanka, when they were knocked out at the Super Eights stage.

Being so short of match practice, Broad needs to establish that his heel is sufficiently heeled to stand up to the rigours of T20 cricket, and he admits that he is a little unsure of how the injury will react, although he has managed to spend time on the treadmill and spinning, and feels that his general fitness is of no concern.

Broad has revealed that his boot suppliers, Adidas in Germany, have made some adjustments to his boots to help the strain.